SALFORD COUNCIL £30,000 SPONSORSHIP OF MANCHESTER INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL

Star date: 15th June 2015

CASH STRAPPED SALFORD COUNCIL SPONSORS MANC FESTIVAL

Salford Council is providing £30,000 sponsorship to the Manchester International Festival (MIF) this year. It's the only local authority, outside Manchester itself, to provide funding, as the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities, or AGMA, has already sponsored the Festival.

In return MIF's managing director, Christine Cort, told the Salford Star that young people will benefit from workshops and primary school pupils will get tickets to see Mr Tumble.

There are no MIF shows taking place in the city, and Salford is the only local authority outside of Manchester itself to provide funding to the prestigious Festival as AGMA, or the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities, has already funded the event.

The Council's sponsorship of MIF has previously caused controversy, with the £300,000 `pea growing' project at the Biospheric Foundation in 2012 (see here) and the £110,000 sponsorship of Cuban ballet star Carlos Acosta in 2009 (see here).

This year, in return for the £30,000 sponsorship, there will be workshops for young people and free tickets for primary school children to see Mr Tumble...

"We're very pleased to be working with Salford City Council again this Festival, as we have on each MIF" Christine Cort, Managing Director of Manchester International Festival, told the Salford Star "Hundreds of children, young people and students from schools, Salford City College and Salford University are going to benefit this year from workshops and projects across the city as part of the festival.

"These include Flex dancing workshops with dancers from New York for Pendleton College and All Hallows School students; working with MIF's creative teams in performances for Salford primary and secondary school children; digital development projects and master classes for Salford University and secondary school students around the Performance Capture event, and free tickets to see Mr Tumble for primary school children from across the city" she explained

"MIF is an artist-led Festival and each biennial is different - this is reflected in our relationships with our sponsors and partners" she added "Our partnership with SCC may be on a smaller scale this year - but is still very important to us as a Greater Manchester organisation."

I am sure Pubs Hotels and Shops in the Trinity and
Quays areas will benefit from this Manchester Festival.

Michael F in SalFord wroteat 11:07:56 on 16 June 2015

Salford Council staff must work harder at bringing in arts funding, lottery grants and gift aid on a larger scale for feel good projects. It is necessary for us to demand our Council be supportive of arts, cultural and music festivals through innovative funding. Yes, thankful our leaders found money towards the festival - but we must expect more to be possible.

SG wroteat 11:07:29 on 16 June 2015

Why doesn't the Salford Star set out exactly what SCC should and should not spend their budget on, just so we're all clear?
Is there a big wall on the River Irwell which stops Salford citizens crossing to the Manchester International Festival?

Scott cooper wroteat 07:16:27 on 16 June 2015

They even swept the streets for Manchester afterwards. A pink mini sweeper was spotted disguised as a bee! I have tweeted Salford about this and ignorance which is typical of Salford council

Down but not out wroteat 22:14:42 on 15 June 2015

So it's not true that salford city council are strapped for cash? They just want to choose who they give money too and it certainly isn't the vulnerable!1